Diamanten, robijnen en parels 1682 - 1733

Romeyn de Hooghe made this print of diamonds, rubies and pearls sometime between 1645 and 1708. The composition here, achieved through the arrangement of individual studies, creates a structured overview. De Hooghe’s use of line and form is precise, turning each gem into a study of geometry and light. The piece acts as a semiotic exercise. Each stone is meticulously rendered, offering a glimpse into the 17th-century fascination with categorizing and understanding the natural world through visual representation. The artist's approach strips away the colour and contexts of value, and invites us to see each stone as an individual item within a larger structural system. Consider how the print engages with broader philosophical questions about perception and knowledge. In its structured presentation, it proposes a way of seeing and organizing the world that speaks to the intellectual currents of its time. The beauty lies not just in the depiction of precious stones, but in the underlying order imposed upon them, inviting continuous interpretation.